Athletic shoe with stabilized discrete resilient elements in heel

ABSTRACT

An athletic shoe includes substantially horizontal chamber substantially within a heel portion of a midsole, the chamber having atmospheric communication at its lateral sides. The chamber includes an upper substantially rigid horizontal plate having at least four apertures therein and a lower substantially rigid horizontal support plate having a corresponding plurality of at least four apertures. Flexible resilient unitary sleeves integrally join respective vertical pairs of the apertures of the upper and lower plates respectively. Disposed within each of said resilient sleeves are resilient means each having spring constant and spring rate greater than that of said sleeves.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Area of Invention

[0002] The instant invention relates to athletic shoes having resilientsprings, or spring equivalents, within the heel thereof.

[0003] 2. Prior Art

[0004] The instant invention comprises an improvement of my U.S. Pat.No. 5,544,431 (1996) entitled Shock Absorbing Shoe with AdjustableInsert and also comprises an improvement over the invention of U.S. Pat.No. 5,343,639 (1994) to Kilgore, et al, entitled Shoe with ImprovedMidsole and over U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,449 (1999) to Orlowski, et alentitled Footwear Having Spring Assemblies In the Insoles Thereof.

[0005] Numerous patents exist in the field of footwear. Therein, aprimary purpose thereof is to protect the foot from injury. Further, thesole of the shoe provides traction and cushioning. In the context of anathletic shoe, various attempts have been made in the prior art toincorporate a spring, a spring module, or spring equivalent into eitheror both the heel or forefoot thereof. However, spring based athleticshoes of the past were mainly novelty products having an unpredictableplatform that would react unpredictably to various forces provided, thisin direct relation to the impact applied by the heel of the foot to thespring, spring module or spring equivalent. Accordingly, a primaryproblem in the incorporation of springs into the heel of a shoe has beenthat of controllability thereof.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,325 discloses a sport shoe having a springdisposed in the sole of the shoe in which the spring operates to providebias to the foot in a raised position and cushioning of the shoe againstshock from the ground. The spring employed therein is a torsion springpositional along the longitudinal axis disposed horizontal to the groundand using the spring constant to resist flexing of the spring. The abovereferenced U.S. patent to Kilgore provides an improved midsole and heelutilizes a group of hollow cylindrical columns within the heel portionand, therein, the use of either gas bladders of a micro-cellularfoam-like material therein to provide a desired degree of stiffness tothe respective columns responsive to impact thereupon. Given theessentially passive nature of the air bladder or micro cellularsupported columns of said system, the end result is a shoe havingimproved cushioning but, however, lacking the requisite degree ofresilient spring-action for use in certain sports such as basketball.

[0007] In my said U. S. Pat. No. 5,544,431 (1996) is described a shockabsorbing adjustable insert for use within the heel of the sole whichcomprises a spring module system having particular value in certainactivities such as basketball and other jumping sports. Therein, thespring action operates as a shock absorber for the foot and provides anaccelerating spring action following the compression which precedes anyjumping motion of an athlete. The instant invention may, thereby, beviewed as an integration of the spring and spring platform supportfeatures of my said U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,431 with the use of compressiblevertical columns as is taught by said Kilgore. Additionally, the instantinvention reflects a recognition that, given the existence ofcontemporary high impact, high resilient polymeric materials, aconsiderable range of spring equivalence exists which, in terms of bothspring constant and spring rate, can behave in a comparable yet morecontrollable fashion than classical springs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] My invention relates to an athletic shoe having stabilizeddiscreet resilient elements substantially within a horizontal chambersubstantially within a heel portion of a midsole thereof, said chamberhaving atmospheric communication at lateral sides thereof. Theimprovement more particularly comprises (a midsole chamber having anupper substantially rigid horizontal plate with at least four aperturestherein) a lower substantially rigid horizontal support plate with acorresponding plurality of at least four apertures therein. Alsoprovided are flexible resilient unitary sleeves integrally joiningrespective vertical pairs of said apertures of said upper and lowerplates respectively. Yet further provided are solid resilient meansdisposed within each of said sleeves, said resilient means each having agreater spring constant and spring rate than that of said resilientsleeves, whereby directionality of said spring rate is controlled bysaid sleeves. Means are provided for securing said horizontal chamberbetween upper and lower soles of the shoe.

[0009] It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention toprovide an athletic shoe adapted to relieve shock loads experienced bythe wearer and to maximize the spring effect of the heel thereof.

[0010] It is another object to provide an improved athletic shoe usingspring elements or spring element equivalents having improved stabilityrelative to shoe components above and below such elements.

[0011] It is a further object of the invention to provide an athleticshoe particularly adapted for use in basketball and other jumpingsports.

[0012] The above and yet other objects and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent from the hereinafter set forth BriefDescription of the Drawings, Detailed Description of the Invention, andClaims appended herewith.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective breakaway schematic view of a firstembodiment of the invention showing the inventive midsole chamber of theathletic shoe, showing the use of spring elements.

[0014]FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken through Line 2-2of FIG. 1.

[0015]FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken through Line 3-3of FIG. 1.

[0016]FIG. 4 is a breakaway schematic view of a second embodiment of theinstant invention, using a solid resilient element in lieu of springelements.

[0017]FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along Line 5-5 ofFIG. 4.

[0018]FIG. 6 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken through Line 6-6of FIG. 4.

[0019]FIGS. 7 and 8 are respective vertical and horizontalcross-sectional views of a variation of the embodiment of FIGS. 4 to 6in which a hollow resilient element is substituted for a solid resilientelement.

[0020]FIG. 9 is a breakaway schematic view of a further embodiment ofthe invention, generally similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 4 to 6 inwhich each of the resilient internal rubber elements thereof extendsthrough the lower platform and to the external outersole of the shoe.

[0021]FIG. 10 is a rear breakaway view of the embodiment of FIG. 9.

[0022]FIG. 11 is a breakaway schematic view of a further embodiment inwhich resilient elements are used within spring elements internally tothe resilient vertical columns of the system.

[0023]FIG. 12 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along Line 12-12of FIG.

[0024]FIG. 13 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken along Line13-13 of FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] With reference to the perspective breakaway view of FIG. 1, theinventive athletic shoe may be seen to include an upper portion 10forming a covering for insertion of a foot and a lower portion,typically referred to as a sole 12, secured to said upper portion forsupport of the base of the foot. Sole 12 comprises an upper sole 34, amidsole 30, and a lower sole 36. Securement of upper portion 10 to uppersole 34 occurs along an interface 14. Below this interface and withinthe midsole 30 is formed a substantially horizontal chamber 16 havingatmospheric communication at the lateral sides thereof. A horizontalchamber of this type, however, is one having a greater ratio ofheight-to-length is taught in my above referenced U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,431. Said horizontal chamber 16, exhibits a ratio of longitudinal lengthto vertical height of approximately 4 to 1. Therein is disposed an uppersubstantially rigid horizontal support plate 18 having therein aplurality of transverse downwardly directed cavities 20. Said cavitiesare defined by a corresponding plurality of upper resilient sleeves 22.See FIG. 8.

[0026] Further provided is a lower substantially rigid horizontal plate24 having a plurality of transverse upwardly directed cavities 26therein, which are defined by respective lower resilient sleeves 27.Where said upper and lower sleeves 22 and 27 respectively are moreflexible than resilient means 28 that are disposed within an aggregateof upper and lower cavities 20 and 26. Said upper and lower sleeves mayassume the form of a single continuous sleeve 25 as is shown in FIGS. 1,3 and 5. However, where the material of which said sleeves are formed ismore rigid than that of the spring means disposed within said cavitiesthe upper and lower cavity defining sleeves will be discreet from eachother, as is shown in the embodiment of FIG. 3A, further describedbelow.

[0027] It is to be understood that in a preferred embodiment, verticalsleeves 22/27 will be molded integrally with upper and lower rigidhorizontal supports 16 and 24 respectively, such that the joinder of thesleeves 22 and 27 thereof will occur after resilient means 28 has beendropped into apertures 31 within upper rigid horizontal support plate 16prior to adhesion or other securement of sole 12 to upper shoe portion10 or, conversely, after said means have been dropped into apertures 32within lower rigid plate 24. Thereafter, such apertures must be sealedIt is, thereby, to be appreciated that any of a number of productiontechniques may be employed in order to secure resilient within itsrespective resilient sleeve 22/27. It is however anticipated that, inmost production scenarios, insertion of said through the lower plate 24will be a more practical strategy.

[0028] In the horizontal cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 is shown lowersupport plate 24, integrated resilient sleeves 22 and 27, and resilientmeans 28 located within cavities 20. In the transverse verticalcross-sectional view of FIG. 3 are shown upper and lower support plates18 and 24 respectively, said cavities 20, and the transverse horizontalchamber 16 defined by said upper and lower plates 18 and 24. The midsole30 may also be seen in FIG. 3. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, saidresilient means comprises a metallic spring.

[0029] It is thereby to be appreciated that means 28 will compressresponsive to downward forces originating from upper portion 10, thatis, the heel of the foot of a user. In the embodiment of FIG. 3A, upperand lower sleeves 122 and 127 are more delineated in that, in thisembodiment, said sleeves are formed of a material which is more rigidthan that of spring 28. Accordingly, a gap 132 must be provided betweensaid upper and lower sleeves to permit compression of spring 28 withinthe vertical cavities 20.

[0030] In the embodiment of FIG. 4, resilient means are expressed ascylinders of rubber 228, or a hard but resilient polymer, having aresiliency comparable to that of a spring of FIGS. 1-3. Further, it hasbeen found that such “rubber springs” in combination with upper andlower plates 18 and 24 respectively afford excellent stability to thefoot, particularly when used with cavity-defining sleeves 225. The term“rubber spring” is defined as any element having a spring constant andspring rate greater than that of cavity defining sleeves 27 or 225. Itis thereby to be appreciated that said sleeves 225 and the cavities 220formed thereby thus serve to “lock” the spring means, whether theycomprise metallic springs or “rubber springs,” in place relative toupper and lower plates 18 and 24. It has more particularly been foundthat the use of said rigid upper and lower support plates 18 and 24preclude side-to-side movement of the internal resilient elementswithout interfering with the cushioning of inner sole 34, midsole 30,lower sole 36, and heel portion 12 of the shoe. It has thereby beenfound that the use of plates 18 and 24 act to balance the upper shoerelative to the lower shoe in much the fashion that the body of anautomobile is balanced upon its wheel assembly through the function of avehicle chassis suspension. It has also been found that the weight ofeach plate can be as low as one ounce each such that, in combinationwith the resilient elements, as little as four ounces is added to anathletic shoe formed in accordance with the present invention.

[0031] It has also been found that the spring cushioning effect of thepresent system insulates the sole of the foot from shock otherwisetransmitted through the sole components 34, 30, and 36 of the shoeitself, acting in much the fashion of a shock absorber in a vehicle.Resultingly, when walking or running with a shoe of the present type,energy impacting upon the lower sole 36 from the pavement will betransmitted upwardly through spring means 18 or 228 thereby providing anincremental uplift to one's walking, running or other activity. It hasbeen further found that impact upon many parts of the body inclusive ofthe feet, knees, hips and spine are diminished through the shockabsorbing effect of the internal spring or rubber cylinder assembly.

[0032] It has been additionally determined that the horizontal chamber16 created by the horizontal plates 18 and 24 affords a most aestheticappearing athletic shoe.

[0033] In the cross-sectional views taken along Lines 5-5 and 6-6 ofFIG. 4 may be appreciated the geometry between the respective platesafter the rubber cylinders 228 have been inserted.

[0034] In FIGS. 7 and 8 are shown a variation of the embodiment of FIGS.4 to 6 in which the radial cross-section of each rubber or polymericcylinder 229 defines a hollow sleeve having an annular geometry withineach sleeve 225. Thereby, the function of the cylinder as a spring ismore clearly replicated, this subject to a sufficient radial annulus,and choice of material, of the cylinder 229, in which its springconstant and spring rate exceed that of sleeve 225.

[0035] In the embodiment of FIGS. 9 and 10 is shown a variation of theembodiment of FIGS. 4 thru 6 wherein there are provided rubber cylinders328 which extend through apertures 320 within lower plate 324, this asmay be more fully seen in the rear breakaway view of FIG. 10. In thisembodiment, elongate rubber cylinder 328 impact directly upon the flooror pavement but are still stabilized by the action of upper and lowerplates 318 and 324 respectively. Further, rubber springs 328 arestabilized relative to the upper and lower plates by vertical sleeves325.

[0036] As may be noted in FIGS. 11-13, resilient cylinders 428 may beplaced within metallic spring 429 and within integral sleeves 425.

[0037] While there has been shown and described the preferred embodimentof the instant invention it is to be appreciated that the invention maybe embodied otherwise than is herein specifically shown and describedand that, within said embodiment, certain changes may be made in theform and arrangement of the parts without departing from the underlyingideas or principles of this invention as set forth in the Claimsappended herewith.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new, useful andnon-obvious and, accordingly, secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:
 1. An athletic shoe having a substantially horizontal chambersubstantially within a heel portion of a midsole thereof, said chamberhaving atmospheric communication at lateral sides thereof, the chambercomprising: (a) an upper substantially rigid horizontal support platehaving a plurality of transverse downwardly directed resilient cavitiestherein, each of said cavities defined by an upper resilient sleeve; (b)a lower substantially rigid horizontal support plate having acorresponding plurality of upwardly directed resilient cavities therein,each of said cavities defined by a lower resilient sleeve; and (c)resilient means disposed within an aggregate length of each pair of saidupper and lower cavities, said resilient means each having a greaterspring constant and spring rate than walls of said cavities.
 2. Theimprovement as recited in claim 1 in which each set of said upper andcavities comprises, in combination, an integral single cavity.
 3. Theimprovement as recited in claim 1 in which each of said verticalcavities are defined by a single circumferential resilient sleevecomprising an integration of said upper and lower sleeves.
 4. Theimprovement as recited in claim 1, in which said spring means comprisesa metallic spiral spring.
 5. The improvement as recited in claim 3, inwhich said spring means comprises a metallic spiral spring.
 6. Theimprovement as recited in claim 1, in which said spring means comprisesa cylindrical body of a solid resilient material.
 7. The improvement asrecited in claim 3, in which said spring means comprises a cylindricalbody of a solid resilient material.
 8. The improvement as recited as inclaim 7, in which said cylindrical body of resilient material extendsdownwardly through said lower plate to a bottommost surface of saidlower sole of said shoe.
 9. The improvement as recited in claim 8, inwhich said resilient means comprises a solid cylindrical body disposedwithin a metallic spiral spring.
 10. The improvement as recited in claim3, in which said resilient means comprises a solid cylindrical bodydisposed within a metallic spiral spring.
 11. The improvement as recitedin claim 6, in which said cylindrical body comprises a hollow annularcross-section.
 12. An athletic shoe having a substantially horizontalchamber substantially within a heel portion of a midsole thereof, saidchamber having atmospheric communication at lateral sides thereof, thechamber comprising: (a) an upper substantially rigid horizontal segmentplate having at least four apertures therein; (b) a lower substantiallyrigid horizontal support plate having a corresponding plurality of atleast four apertures therein; (c) flexible resilient unitary sleevesintegrally joining respective vertical pairs of said apertures of saidupper and lower plates respectively; and (d) resilient means disposedwithin each of said sleeves, said resilient means each having a greaterspring constant and spring rate greater than that of said sleeves. 13.The improvement as recited in claim 12, in which said resistant meanscomprise a metallic spiral spring.
 14. The improvement as recited inclaim 12, in which said resilient means comprise a cylindrical body of aresilient material.
 15. The improvement as recited in claim 12, in whichsaid cylindrical body of resilient material extends downwardly throughsaid lower plate to a bottommost surface of said lower sole of saidshoe.
 16. The improvement as recited as in claim 14, in which saidcylindrical body of resilient material comprises a hollow annularcross-section.
 17. The improvement as recited in claim 12, in which saidresilient means comprises a solid cylindrical body disposed within ametallic spiral spring.
 18. The improvement as recited in claim 16,further comprises a metallic spring disposed outwardly of saidcylindrical body but within said unitary sleeve.
 19. The improvement asrecited in claim 16, in which said cylindrical body of resilientmaterial extends downwardly through said lower plate to a bottommostsurface of said lower sole of said shoe.